The Morning After: Apple’s next AirPods Pro could offer heart rate and temperature monitoring

Apple is working on the next generation of AirPods Pro, and they may have some new health features, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman – although it’s a rumor we heard before, back in 2021.

The company has reportedly started testing features like temperature sensing and heart rate monitoring for the earbuds. Apple has found that the Apple Watch still does the latter better, but the AirPods “aren’t terribly far off” in their readings.

The company may have also revived its idea of putting cameras into AirPods, a rumor we’ve heard a few times over the last year. But it’ll still probably be years before any camera-equipped AirPods appear.

– Mat Smith

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Intel Arc B580 review

The new king of $250 GPUs (for now).

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Intel’s Arc B580 is a rarity: A $250 GPU that delivers solid 1080p and 1440p gaming, even with a bit of ray tracing. Faster than a Radeon 7600 and RTX 4060 from the dominant GPU players, and Intel’s XeSS upscaling works well, even if it’s not as well supported as DLSS 3. According to our review, it’s a clear win for Intel – until we see what’s new from AMD.

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James Bond (the movie franchise, not the spy) may be in deep jeopardy.

The Broccoli family is not happy with Amazon.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Amazon and Barbara Broccoli, the producer who inherited the franchise from her father and film producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, are in the middle of a fight that’s halted production on the next Bond film. Apparently, Barbara doesn’t trust Amazon with her family’s famous film franchise.

Broccoli was quoted telling some of her friends that the people who run Amazon’s media empire are “f—ing idiots.” When Amazon purchased MGM, executives started thinking of ways to expand the Bond film franchise to other mediums like a Moneypenny spinoff series for Prime Video or a separate spy film or TV show in the Bond universe. Broccoli refused to let any of these projects go forward. She also took umbrage with Amazon entertainment executive Jennifer Salke’s use of the word “content” to describe new James Bond projects. (I love that.)

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Marvels Rivals Is The Hero Shooter We Didn’t Know We Needed

One of 2024’s biggest success stories has been Marvel Rivals, a third-person PVP shooter starring Marvel heroes and baddies. The game has already picked up over 20 million players and shows no signs of stopping. Which is cool but also very surprising!

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Apple is reportedly working on a smart doorbell system that could unlock your door with Face ID

Apple is developing a smart doorbell and lock system that would use Face ID to unlock the door for known residents, Mark Gurman reports in the Power On newsletter. The face-scanning doorbell would connect to a smart deadbolt, which could include existing HomeKit-compatible third-party locks, according to Gurman. Or, Apple may “[team] up with a specific lock maker to offer a complete system on day one.” 

It’ll likely still be a while before we see the doorbell-lock system hit the market, though, if we see it at all. Gurman reports that it’s in the early stages of development and wouldn’t be ready until at least the end of next year. The doorbell would help Apple compete with the likes of Amazon's Ring and Google Nest, and it's just one of several smart home products Apple is working on, according to Gurman. The company is reportedly also developing a security camera for inside the home, which would work with its rumored smart home hub that’s expected to make its debut as soon as next year.

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The Best Marvel Rivals Tips, Steam Winter Sale Deals, And More Of The Week's Most Helpful Gaming Info

This week, Marvel Rivals continued to pull players in with its enjoyably chaotic take on the hero-shooter genre, and we’ve got heaps of tips to help you come to grips with the game and see what cool strats other players are using. We’ll also fill you in on everything we know about Intergalactic, Naughty Dog’s upcoming…

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Google proposes alternative remedies for its search monopoly after DOJ demands radical changes

Google has filed a proposal outlining how it would remedy the antitrust violations it’s been accused of by the Department of Justice, after the DOJ called for Google to sell off Chrome and face restrictions that would prevent it from favoring its own search engine in Android. Judge Amit Mehta of the US District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in August that Google has violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act, and called Google “a monopolist.” Google said in the proposal filed on Friday night that it disagreed with the ruling but suggested ways to make its contracts with browser companies and Android device makers more flexible.

In a blog post summarizing the filing, Google’s VP of regulatory affairs Lee-Anne Mulholland wrote that the proposal would let browser companies like Apple and Mozilla “continue to offer Google Search to their users and earn revenue from that partnership,” while allowing them to have “multiple default agreements across different platforms (e.g., a different default search engine for iPhones and iPads) and browsing modes.” And browsers would be able to change their default search provider every 12 months. The proposal would also give device makers “additional flexibility in preloading multiple search engines, and preloading any Google app independently of preloading Search or Chrome.”

Google said it plans to appeal the judge’s decision ahead of a hearing in April, and will submit a revised proposal on March 7. In the blog post, Mulholland called the DOJ’s proposal “overboard,” going on to write that it reflects an “interventionist agenda” and “goes far beyond what the Court’s decision is actually about — our agreements with partners to distribute search.”

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Pokémon TCG Pocket's Game-Changing Update And More Of The Week's Big News

The year is wrapping up but the gaming news keeps coming. This week, tales of hurt feelings and anger among some developers and fans of Black Myth: Wukong emerged after it failed to take home Game of the Year honors at this year’s Game Awards. Additionally, the announcement that pricey Killzone skins were coming toHel…

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Judge finds spyware-maker NSO Group liable for attacks on WhatsApp users

A federal judge in California has agreed with WhatsApp that the NSO Group, the Israeli cybersurveillance firm behind the Pegasus spyware, had hacked into its systems by sending malware through its servers to thousands of its users' phones. WhatsApp and its parent company, Meta, sued the NSO Group back in 2019 and accused it of spreading malware to 1,400 mobile devices across 20 countries with surveillance as its purpose. They revealed back then some of the targeted phones were owned by journalists, human rights activists, prominent female leaders and political dissidents. The Washington Post reports that District Judge Phyllis Hamilton has granted WhatsApp's motion for summary judgement against NSO and has ruled that it had violated the US Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). 

The NSO Group disputed the allegations in the "strongest possible terms" when the lawsuit was filed. It denied that it had a hand in the attacks and told Engadget back then that its sole purpose was to "provide technology to licensed government intelligence and law enforcement agencies to help them fight terrorism and serious crime." The company argued that it should not be held liable, because it merely sells its services to government agencies, which are the ones that determine their targets. In 2020, Meta escalated its lawsuit and accused the firm of using US-based servers to stage its Pegasus spyware attacks.

Judge Hamilton has ruled that the NSO Group violated the CFAA, because the firm appears to fully acknowledge that the modified WhatsApp program its clients use to target users send messages through legitimate WhatsApp servers. Those messages then allow the Pegasus spyware to be installed on users' devices — the targets don't even have to do anything, such as pick up the phone to take a call or click a link, to be infected. The court has also found that the plaintiff's motion for sanctions must be granted on account of the NSO Group "repeatedly [failing] to produce relevant discovery," most significant of which is the Pegasus source code. 

WhatsApp spokesperson Carl Woog told The Post that the company believes this is the first court decision agreeing that a major spyware vendor had broken US hacking laws. "We’re grateful for today’s decision," Woog told the publication. "NSO can no longer avoid accountability for their unlawful attacks on WhatsApp, journalists, human rights activists and civil society. With this ruling, spyware companies should be on notice that their illegal actions will not be tolerated." In her decision, Judge Hamilton wrote that her order resolves all issues regarding the NSO Group's liability and that a trial will only proceed to determine how much the company should pay in damages.  

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The Morning After: Google accused of using novices to fact-check Gemini’s AI answers

Last week, Google allegedly instructed contract workers evaluating Gemini not to skip any prompts, regardless of their expertise, TechCrunch reports based on internal guidance it viewed.

Now, contractors have allegedly been instructed not to skip prompts that “require specialized domain knowledge” and to “rate the parts of the prompt you understand,” adding a note that it’s not an area they have knowledge in. Apparently, the only times contractors can skip now are if a big chunk of the information is missing or if it has harmful content.

Google filed a statement to Engadget, saying its raters “perform a wide range of tasks across many different Google products and platforms. They provide valuable feedback on more than just the content of the answers, but also on the style, format and other factors.”

— Mat Smith

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Elevation Lab’s TimeCapsule is a waterproof 10-year battery case for your AirTag

A literal set and forget.

Lenovo

Elevation Lab has released an accessory for the Apple AirTag that extends its battery life by up to 10 years and makes it waterproof. The TimeCapsule contains your AirTag and two AA batteries. You don’t need to open your AirTag and tinker with it — you only have to remove its backplate and coin battery before attaching it to the case. As you can see, it will make your tracking device a lot bigger and considerably heftier, so it’s mostly ideal for use with large objects, such as vehicles and big suitcases. Peace of mind for $20 — plus two AAs.

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Honda is unveiling two EV prototypes at CES 2025

The concepts broke cover last year.

Honda is officially introducing two Series 0 electric vehicle prototypes at CES next year, and the company says they’ll be available for purchase around the world sometime in 2026. The vehicles will be based on the futuristic-looking concepts the company presented at CES 2024, including a flagship model called the Saloon, which featured a low profile and aerodynamic design.

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Lenovo’s leaked ThinkBook Plus unrolls extra screen space

The company teased a rollable laptop concept in 2022.

Lenovo

According to images shared by leaker Evan Blass, Lenovo’s sixth-generation ThinkBook Plus will have an extendable rolling display. The company first teased a “rollable” laptop concept in 2022. The display can extend and unroll until you effectively have two screens stacked on top of each other. Lenovo’s images show a video call open on the top part of the display, and what looks like a PowerPoint presentation on the bottom. It looks a little weird.

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Honda is unveiling two Series 0 EV prototypes at CES 2025

Honda is officially introducing two Series 0 electric vehicle prototypes at CES next year, and the company says they'll be available for purchase around the world sometime in 2026. The vehicles will be based on the futuristic-looking concepts the company presented at CES 2024, including a flagship model called the Saloon that featured an aerodynamic design. They'll be the company's first entries in the Series 0 lineup, which are also expected to feature an advanced driver-assisted system and, over the coming years, AI-powered automated driving features. 

In addition to presenting the prototypes themselves, Honda will also introduce a new proprietary vehicle operating system that the Series 0 cars will use. Plus, it will give you a look at the SoC powering the vehicles during the event. Honda trailed behind competitors in terms of making the transition to electric vehicles, but its first electric SUV, the Prologue, became one of the best-selling EVs in the US after its release in the country earlier this year. The company will unveil its new EV prototypes during its press conference in Las Vegas that will be held on January 7 at 10:30AM PT/1:30 PM ET. The event will be livestreamed on YouTube, but we'll also keep you updated on the latest news from CES 2025. 

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The Morning After: What to expect at CES 2025

The holidays haven’t even kicked off, but we’re already looking to next year when, almost immediately, some of the Engadget team will head to Las Vegas for tech’s biggest annual conference. The pitches from companies, both legit and unhinged, are already filling our inboxes and spam tabs, so what are we excited about?

Getty Images

Excited might not be the word, but we expect AI to become even more pervasive in good and overhyped ways. There will also be the usual slew of new processors and subsequent laptops. We expect NVIDIA to debut its long-awaited RTX 5000 video cards at CES, while AMD CEO Lisa Su has confirmed we’ll see next-generation RDNA 4 GPUs early next year. While 2024 was a year of endless AI PC hype, 2025 might be a year of reckoning. Microsoft’s long-delayed Recall feature is slowly trickling out to more users, for example, but is still facing struggles. PC makers in 2025 will have to actually prove their new AI-laced devices can live up to their claims.

There are also audio products, EVs, flying EVs (!) and more. Check out the full CES 2024 preview.

— Mat Smith

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Meta’s Threads has grown to 300 million users

More than 100 million people use the site every day.

Cementing its status as the fastest growing social network ever (with a heavy nepo-baby lift from Instagram), Threads has hit 300 million users, with over 100 million people using the site every day. We could see some big changes for Threads as Meta capitalizes on that growth. The company reportedly has plans to experiment with the first ads for threads in early 2025, according to a recent report in The Information.

While it’s still a ways off, Zuckerberg has repeatedly speculated that Threads has a “good chance” of becoming the company’s next billion-user app.

Continue reading. 

TikTok asks the Supreme Court to delay upcoming ban

The social media app is just a few weeks away from a potential ban.

It’s a tale of two social media networks today. After a federal court last week denied TikTok’s request to delay a law that could ban the app in the United States, the company is now turning to the Supreme Court to buy time. The social media company has asked the court to temporarily block the law. The company, which argues the law is unconstitutional, lost its initial legal challenge earlier this month. The company then requested a delay of the law’s implementation, saying President-elect Donald Trump had said he would “save” TikTok. That request was denied on Friday. TikTok is now hoping the Supreme Court will intervene to suspend the law, otherwise, app stores and internet service providers will begin blocking TikTok next month.

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Rumored Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet Plot Leak Is Fake

Sometime yesterday, an anonymous poster claiming to be a “disgruntled Naughty Dog employee” leaked Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet‘s plot. The so-called leak reads like an awful fan fiction, but as we’ve come to expect, it didn’t take long for the post to start making rounds, amplified by social media accounts with a large number of followers. However, it has been confirmed that the plot is fake.

Fake Intergalactic plot leak reminded fans of the infamous The Last of Us Part II leak

Sony studios are no strangers to leaks, but Naughty Dog is arguably the only PlayStation developer that suffered intense backlash over the infamous plot leak from The Last of Us Part II, which continued for years after the game launched. Since then, the studio has fallen out of favor with a certain section of the gaming community, and is frequently targeted by it.

Intergalactic’s reveal last week also polarized fans, prompting some harsh reactions on social media. It’s no surprise, then, that the fake plot leak started making rounds as if some folks wanted to believe it was real. However, journalist and insider Jason Schreier confirmed on Bluesky that the alleged gameplay details are fake.

Hello. Is it true?Plot and gameplay details revealed below was sent to a handful of gaming Journalists, the most notable of whom includes Jason Schreierwww.neogaf.com/threads/4cha…

— (@brunoab09.bsky.social) 2024-12-16T14:41:07.710Z

No

— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier.bsky.social) 2024-12-16T14:45:08.956Z

We’ll find out more about Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet officially in due course. In the meantime, it’s safe to assume that any “disgruntled Naughty Dog employee” is a troll.

The post Rumored Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet Plot Leak Is Fake appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

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The Morning After: PlayStation vs. Xbox in 2024

The current generation of consoles landed in roughly the same week in November 2020. At launch, the PS5 had seven new exclusive games to the Xbox Series’ two. Sony had a better showing too, with the likes of Demon Souls (sure, a remake) and Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

Four years on, the difference between the two consoles remains. We returned to the PlayStation 5 (in its slim iteration) and the Xbox Series X to see how the two approaches have fared. If you’ve been paying attention, you know the conclusion: estimates put PS5 console sales around double the latest Xboxes’.

Microsoft had two consoles, the entry-level Series S and the powerful Series X, while Sony went for largely the same power PS5, but with a disc-less iteration.

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The Xbox Series X is a solid way to play Microsoft titles, popular third-party games and everything Microsoft has available on Game Pass. But if you had to choose between buying the Series X or PlayStation 5, the latter has better exclusive games, a bigger base of gamers and a better controller. (Editor: Mat’s opinion, there.)

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, God of War Ragnarok, Spider-Man 2, and Astro Bot have all been platform exclusives, while long-running series like Final Fantasy appear first on Sony consoles.

The strongest weapon in Xbox’s arsenal, Game Pass, has been neutered over time too. The Game Pass Ultimate plan also feels less, well, ultimate. The company increased the monthly price of its top plan to $20, including day-one access to new titles and a large library of games for Xbox and PC. The new $15 a month Standard plan doesn’t give day-one access but does include a library of hundreds of games.

Things could change, however. Sony is now drip-feeding its games to PC, diminishing the draw of console exclusives, while Microsoft’s game developer spending spree has to bear fruit eventually. Right? Right?!

That might be a discussion for the next wave of consoles.

— Mat Smith

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HDMI 2.2 could make its debut at CES next month

Look out for an announcement January 6.

Just in time to make your mid-cycle console seem under-specced, we may see the next HDMI standard, HDMI 2.2, in a matter of weeks. According to an email from the HDMI Forum, a new HDMI specification will be announced on Monday, January 6, in Las Vegas. (Ready for all those huge expensive TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony and the rest.) It’s been seven years since HDMI 2.1 arrived. The new specs will bring higher bandwidth, according to the email. But that’s all we know, for now.

Continue reading.

A US Congressman tried (and failed) to fake his Spotify Wrapped for political gain

You can’t fake your love for the Boss!

A curious-looking post on X from US Rep. Josh Gottheimer got the New Jersey congressman in some mild trouble. Spotted by 9to5Mac, he shared what appeared to be his Spotify Wrapped playlist for the year, with one list consisting of Springsteen’s classic tracks. However, it was filled with formatting mistakes. He’d faked it.

He admitted to NJ Advance Media that he made a fake Spotify Wrapped list but says the tracks on each list are accurate. Gottheimer has since taken the post down and replaced it with a list of his most listened-to Springsteen tracks. He’s trying to save face because he’s in a heated race for New Jersey governor — and you know where Springsteen is a big deal? New Jersey.

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How to use Genmoji to make your own custom emojis

You need an iPhone or iPad with Apple Intelligence.

Apple

Genmoji are custom emojis you can create if you’ve installed the iOS 18.2 or iPadOS 18.2 update. They are the emojis of your imagination, made real with help from Apple Intelligence — you describe what emoji you want to see, like a sad cowboy or an octopus DJ. You’ll need a device compatible with Apple Intelligence. That includes every iPhone 16 model, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, as well as iPad models with the M1 chip or later, and iPad mini (A17 Pro). Then, well, read on for a confusion-free guide.

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Apple’s Magic Mouse may be getting a big makeover in the next year or so

The Magic Mouse has gone a long time without any major changes to its design beyond things like dropping the AA batteries and gaining a USB-C port, but Apple is now reportedly planning an overhaul. In the Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman reports that Apple has started working on prototypes for a more modern version of the Magic Mouse, which was first released way back in 2009.

While some users have loved the Magic Mouse for its gesture controls, other aspects like its nonergonomic design and its underside charging port have been the subject of complaints for years. We don’t know what exactly the redesign will bring, but it’d be great to see those things finally addressed. And it sounds like we will. According to Gurman, “Apple is looking to create something that’s more relevant, while also fixing longstanding complaints — yes, including the charging port issue.” It could still be a while before we see the new Magic Mouse, though. Gurman notes that it could take another year to 18 months to get it ready for market.

The newsletter also gives us a bit more info on the rumored new AirTag that Apple reportedly has in the works for release next year. Building on his previous reports about a next-gen AirTag with a better chip and more tamperproof design, Gurman now reports that the new tracker will have “a new ultrawide band chip on par with the one introduced in the iPhone 15,” which he says could triple its detectable range with Precision Finding.

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Apple is reportedly trying to make a giant iPad-like foldable with no crease

We’ve been hearing rumors about the foldables Apple may or may not be making for years, from clamshell iPhone prototypes to plans for a foldable iPad, but the latest suggests we may also be in for something much bigger. According to Mark Gurman in the Power On newsletter this weekend, Apple is developing a foldable device with a display that opens up to be nearly 20 inches. The plan is for “something akin to a giant iPad that unfolds into the size of two iPad Pros side-by-side,” with elements of both iPad and Mac functionality, according to Gurman. The company is reportedly targeting a 2028 release.

Not only will the device be enormous, but Apple is also working to make it creaseless when opened, Gurman reports, which other companies have failed to do in their own foldables. Apple’s prototypes “have a nearly invisible crease,” he writes, but it’s not completely gone. The report comes about a week after a leak that described a similar device with an 18.8-inch display that’s allegedly due to be released between 2028 and 2030. Gurman predicts the foldable will run on “iPadOS or a variant of it.”.

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How To Start Strong In Indiana Jones And The Great Circle And More Tips For The Week

This week, players everywhere dove into the epic adventure that is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. It’s a game packed with secrets and even with basic mechanics the game isn’t always great about foregrounding, so our tips can help you make the most of your time as the famed archaeologist. On top of that, we’ll…

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Now Meta is trying to stop OpenAI’s for-profit conversion too

Meta sent a letter to California’s attorney general on Thursday urging him to stop OpenAI from converting to a for-profit company, a move that Meta says would be “wrong” and “could lead to a proliferation of similar start-up ventures that are notionally charitable until they are potentially profitable.” The letter from Meta Platforms to Attorney General Rob Bonta, first reported on by The Wall Street Journal, comes on the heels of an injunction filed by Elon Musk at the end of November that also asked for OpenAI's conversion to be blocked.

Meta argues in its letter, which The Verge has published in full, that OpenAI was able to raise billions of dollars from investors under its original nonprofit mission and now “wants to change its status while retaining all of the benefits that enabled it to reach the point it has today.” It goes on to say, “OpenAI should not be allowed to flout the law by taking and reappropriating assets it built as a charity and using them for potentially enormous private gains.” The letter also calls upon the attorney general to look into OpenAI’s past practices as a nonprofit. Engadget has reached out to OpenAI for comment.

Meta’s letter also voices support for Elon Musk and Shivon Zilis to represent public interests in Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI, which was revived in August. On Friday, OpenAI published a timeline citing emails and other communications from Elon Musk to show how he previously pushed for OpenAI to become a for-profit with him at the helm. 

In a statement shared with The Verge in response to Meta's letter, OpenAI board chair Bret Taylor said, “While our work remains ongoing as we continue to consult independent financial and legal advisors, any potential restructuring would ensure the nonprofit continues to exist and thrive, and receives full value for its current stake in the OpenAI for-profit with an enhanced ability to pursue its mission.”

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Indiana Jones, Marvel Rivals, Secret Level, And More Of The Week's Reviews

The long-anticipated Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has finally arrived, and it’s different—and better—that what we expected, really putting you in the boots of Harrison Ford’s adventurous archaeologist to become something of an Indiana Jones simulator. Read our full review for lots more on this terrific new…

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The Game Awards has already set a date for its 2025 show

The annual Game Awards came and went this week, bringing a ton of announcements and trailers for upcoming games, and crowning 2024’s game of the year: Astro Bot. Riding the excitement, The Game Awards has already announced the date for next year’s event. It’ll take place on December 11, 2025 at LA’s Peacock Theater.

#TheGameAwards returns on Thursday, December 11, 2025 to @peacock_theater in Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/vueA0jW3V0

— The Game Awards (@thegameawards) December 13, 2024

As always, The Game Awards on Thursday treated us to an orchestra performance of music from the GOTY nominees, and it goes so hard. That includes music from Astro Bot, Balatro and Black Myth: Wukong. It’s definitely worth checking it out if you missed it during the stream. 

Among the trailers, we got a surprise look at The Witcher 4 from CD Projekt RED and an Elden Ring spinoff called Nightreign, a co-op action game coming out in 2025. We also saw previews for Naughty Dog’s Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, Split Fiction from Hazelight, a cute-but-spooky new co-op game called Stage Fright from the team behind Overcooked, and over a dozen other upcoming titles.

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Everything We Saw At The 2024 Game Awards And More Of The Week's Top Stories

The 2024 Game Awards were held this past Thursday and unsurprisingly, the reveals that occurred atGeoff Keighley’s big show dwarfed most other happenings in the world of games this week. In addition to our exhaustive breakdown of everything revealed at this year’s event, we’ve got closer looks at The Witcher 4, Mafia:…

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Engadget Podcast: Apple's Genmoji are AI disappointments

At long last, iPhone users have access to Apple's AI image generation tools, Genmoji (for customized emoji) and Image Playground. But based on our testing, these Apple Intelligence features aren't fully baked. In this episode, Devindra and Cherlynn discuss why these AI tools aren't very useful and dive into some of Apple's most egregious image generation fails.

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Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!

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Topics

• iOS 18.2 AI image generation arrives half baked. Genmoji are fun, but weird – 1:13

• OpenAI’s Sora video generation model was finally released – 37:17

• GM kills its Cruise robotaxi project – 45:43

• Google’s Gemini 2.0 is now available for preview – 49:51

• Tiktok is running out of options to avoid a ban in the U.S. – 57:36

• Working on – 1:00:04

• Pop culture picks – 1:02:20

Credits 

Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Cherlynn Low
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien

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The Game Awards 2024 Roundup: All Winners and PS5 News

The Game Awards 2024 took place last night, and if you didn’t watch the livestream with us, we’ve got a roundup of all the winners, PS5 news, and announcements. On the awards front, Astro Bot was the biggest winner of the night. As for announcements, we finally learned more about Sony’s previously leaked project Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.

The Game Awards 2024: All PS5 news and announcements

• Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is Naughty Dog’s next game, set in space.
• Capcom announced Okami 2.
• Capcom also announced Onimusha: Way of the Sword.
• The Witcher 4 was unveiled, with Ciri as the lead.
• Elden Ring: Nightreign standalone co-op spinoff was announced.
• Ico and Shadow of the Colossus dev Fumito Ueda is making a new game code named Project Robot.
• Mafia: The Old Country confirmed for summer 2025.
• Milestone’s next racing game is Screamer.
• Free-to-play shooter Fragpunk is heading to PS5 in March 2025.
• Narrative game Dispatch was announced with a star-studded cast.
• Hazelight’s next co-op game Split Fiction was officially announced.
• Microsoft is bringing The Outer Worlds 2 to PS5 as well.
• The Last of Us Part II finally releasing on PC.
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth also leaving PlayStation exclusivity behind for PC.
• Tekken 8 is getting a new fighter, Final Fantasy XVI’s Clive Rosfield.
• We got our first look at Borderlands 4.
• Virtua Fighter has returned.
• Yakuza studio announced a new game, Project Century.
• Sonic Racing: Crossworlds announced.
• Turok returns with Turok: Origins.
• 2D side-scroller Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound was announced.
• Deus Ex creator Warren Spector is working on a new multiplayer game, Thick as Thieves.
• Slay the Spire 2 got a new trailer.
• Katsuhiro Harada’s metroidvania Shadow Labyrinth announced.
• Sifu studio announced multiplayer soccer game, Rematch.
• Palworld is getting a new expansion, Feybreak.
• Dave the Diver is also getting a new expansion, In the Jungle.
• Crimson Desert is out in 2025.
• Overcooked dev is making a new co-op game, Stage Fright.
• Helldivers 2 DualSense confirmed.
• Multiplayer game Midnight Murder Club headed to PS5, open beta available now.
• First-person puzzle game One Move Away announced.
• Wuthering Waves will release on PS5 on January 2, 2025, and Double Dragon Revive will release on October 23rd.

The Game Awards 2024: All winners

Game of the Year

• Astro Bot

Best Game Direction

• Astro Bot

Best Ongoing Game

• Helldivers 2

Best Narrative

• Metaphor: ReFantanzio

Best Independent Game

• Balatro

Best Mobile Game

• Balatro 

Best VR/AR

• Batman: Arkham Shadow

Best Action Game

• Black Myth: Wukong 

Best Action/Adventure Game

• Astro Bot

Best RPG

• Metaphor: ReFantazio

Best Fighting Game

• Tekken 8

Best Debut Indie Game

• Balatro

Best Family Game

• Astro Bot

Best Sports/Racing Game

• EA Sports FC 25

Best Sim/Strategy Game

• Frostpunk 2

Best Multiplayer Game

• Helldivers 2 

Most Anticipated Game

• Grand Theft Auto VI

Best Art Direction

• Metaphor: ReFantazio

Best Score and Music

• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Best Audio Design

• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2

Best Performance

• Melina Juergens, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2

Games for Impact

• Neva

Best Community Support

• Baldur’s Gate 3 

Innovation in Accessibility

• Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Content Creator of the Year

• CaseOh

Best Esports Game

• League of Legends

Best Esports Athlete

• Faker – Lee Sang-hyeok

Best Esports Team

• T1 (League of Legends)

Best Adaptation

• Fallout

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Watch The Game Awards 2024 Livestream Right Here

It’s time for The Game Awards 2024 — the biggest (and longest) video game event of the year, and we’re hosting the livestream right here for our readers. This year’s event became the subject of debate over the nomination of Elden Ring’s DLC for Game of the Year, but arguably the most exciting part of the event is reveals and announcements.

The Game Awards 2024 livestream and what to expect

The livestream can be viewed below. The show will kick off at 4:30 p.m. PT / 7:30 p.m. ET.

Unfortunately, three of the announcements from TGA 2024 have already leaked. As we reported earlier today, a YouTube blooper confirmed that Mafia: The Old Country will get a new trailer alongside a release window of summer 2025.

Two of the leaked game announcements include Hazelight Studio’s Split Fiction and The First Berserker: Khazan, both of which are reportedly releasing in March 2025.

As for rumors, there’s rumblings that we’ll see something from PlayStation Studios at the event based on comments made by insiders. Speculation suggests that Days Gone Remastered could be at the event as well.

In case you miss TGA 2024 or don’t feel like watching the show live, make sure to check PlayStation LifeStyle early morning tomorrow as we’ll have a roundup of all the news for our readers.

The post Watch The Game Awards 2024 Livestream Right Here appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

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The Morning After: The Game Awards had some surprises this year

The Game Awards delivered. While the games I thought deserved to win did so (Astro Bot! Balatro! Metaphor!), we got some wildcard trailers, like an entirely new game from Last of Us studio Naughty Dog. Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet takes place thousands of years in the future, and it stars bounty hunter Jordan A. Mun, played by Chilling Adventures of Sabrina actor Tati Gabrielle. Note: This is the first game from Naughty Dog since 2005 that isn’t Uncharted or Last of Us .

There was also, many years on, another Witcher game. Witcher 4 will feature Ciri kicking magical ass, but there’s no gameplay footage yet. Elsewhere, Virtua Fighter is getting a revival (part of Sega’s push to mine and relaunch its biggest hits) and a new brawler game from the makers of the Like A Dragon series.

Capcom too taps its gaming past, reviving the wolf god Okami and its magical ink strokes nearly two decades after the original, with the original game’s director, Hideki Kamiya, still at the helm.

And we have a new co-op game from the studio behind It Takes Two. Split Fiction is a co-op adventure where players leap between sci-fi and fantasy worlds. There is also a new sci-fi game from the creator of The Last Guardian, an Elden Ring co-op spin-off and, well, read on for even more.

— Mat Smith

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The biggest tech stories you missed

• Threads’ take on Bluesky Starter Packs is live

• The Outer Worlds 2 gameplay trailer reveals it’s coming to PS5 and Xbox

• Reddit is removing links to Luigi Mangione’s manifesto

Most US teens still use TikTok daily as ban looms

YouTube and Instagram are likely to benefit the most.

With a TikTok ban in the United States looking more and more likely, a new report from Pew Research on teen social media use underscores just how influential the app is among its youngest users. It’s one of the most-used social media services by teens, with 57 percent of 13- to 17-year-olds scrolling TikTok every single day, according to the report.

TikTok is running out of options to avoid the ban in the United States. The company lost its initial legal challenge to a law requiring parent company ByteDance to sell the app or face a total ban in the country. TikTok has asked the courts for a temporary delay to the law, which is currently scheduled to take effect January 19.

Continue reading.

Adobe’s new Photoshop tool can clean away window reflections

Although it isn’t perfect.

Adobe

Adobe has a new experimental tool for removing window reflections from photos. Originally announced at Adobe Max 2023 as Project See Through, the Reflection Removal tool is now available to preview in Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Bridge if you’re a Creative Cloud subscriber. The tool uses AI to isolate two separate images: the reflection and whatever is on the other side of the window or reflective material. Adobe says the Reflection Removal tool can’t handle “reflections from windows that are small or far away” or reflections of “wine glasses, car bodies or clouds reflected in a lake.”

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/Q1Nj9BE

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Indiana Jones And The Great Circle Has A Hidden Way To Recover From Softlock Nightmares

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a fantastic time, and I’m playing it in every spare second I can find. But another thing it is, on PC at least, is buggy. I’ve had a bunch of freezes, which suck, but worst was the moment when companion Gina just refused to follow her script, and my game—which offers no way to…

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Black Myth: Wukong Update Adds New Features, No PS5 Pro Enhancements

Game Science is rolling out Black Myth: Wukong update 1.0.12.16581 across all platforms, which brings new features and bug fixes. Unfortunately, the update doesn’t include any PS5 Pro specific enhancements, and there’s no word on a dedicated patch yet either.

Black Myth: Wukong update 1.0.12.16581 patch notes (December 10, 2024)

Complete patch notes are as follows:

Major Updates

New Gameplay: Challenge

• After completing the game at least once, the Destined One can find “Challenge” at any Keeper’s Shrine.
• There are two types of challenge available: “Return of Rivals” and “Gauntlet of Legends”.
• “Return of Rivals”
  • The Destined One can challenge a former opponent to a duel, choosing from three levels of difficulty.
  • If any opponents remain undefeated in the main game, the corresponding rebattle will be unavailable.
• “Gauntlet of Legends”
  • The Destined One can battle against multiple opponents in succession, using customized curses to tailor the difficulty.
  • This mode can be difficult, as some old opponents may surprise with new moves. Proceed with caution!
  • If any opponents remain undefeated in the main game, the related gauntlet will be unavailable.
  • Completing any gauntlet rewards players with new rare treasures.
    • Medicine: “Glimmering Scale Pellets” and its formula;
    • Drink and Soaks: “Sour Wine”, “Frost-Enduring Chrysanth”, and “Robust Antler”;
    • Curios: “Stone Tiger Tally”, “Ever-Burning Palace Lantern”, and “Fragment of the Ocean-Settling Pillar”;
    • Equipment: “Three Hill Crown”;
    • Weapons: “Qing Mallet”, “Fanged Cyan Staff”, and “Leeching Centipede Staff”.

New Game Feature: Journeyer’s Chart

• A remarkable one has captured these landscapes, organizing them into charts for guidance and marking.
• A Journeyer’s Chart can be unlocked when the Destined One first enters Black Wind Mountain and meets the Keeper.
• Afterwards, for each new territory reached, a “Journeyer’s Chart” can be purchased at the Keeper’s Shrine.

New Equipment: Armor Set of Opulence

• Four special armor pieces have been crafted to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year.
• After installation, all Destined Ones can claim these directly through “Trailblazer’s Gift” at any Keeper’s Shrine.

New Music Library Functions

• “Black Myth: Wukong Soundtrack Selection” has been added as a new soundtrack application (some tracks are not available for export due to copyright restrictions).

Bug Fixes

Bosses

• Fixed an issue where yaoguai chiefs “The King of the Kingdom of Flowing Sands and His Son” might not drop the spirit of “Second Rat Prince” upon defeat.
• Fixed an issue where yaoguai queen “Kang-Jin Star” would die unexpectedly under certain conditions.
• Fixed an issue where “Zhu Bajie” could not be defeated during a certain phase.
• Fixed an issue where yaoguai king “Yellow Loong” would get stuck underground in certain situations.
• Fixed an issue where some skills of yaoguai king “Yellow Loong” could not be interrupted even after being seen-through.
• Fixed an issue where yaoguai chiefs “Cloudy Mist, Misty Cloud” would continue attacking players while in invisible state under certain conditions.
• Fixed an issue where yaoguai chief Lang-Baw-Baw could not engage in combat under certain conditions.
• Fixed an issue where some skills of “Erlang, the Sacred Divinity” would deal abnormal damage to the Destined One.
• Fixed an issue where the Destined One could engage in the battle with “The Four Heavenly Kings” in forms other than “Stone Monkey” under specific operations.
• Fixed an issue where the Destined One could be blocked by an invisible wall, preventing him from entering combat in certain situations.
• Improved the grappling performance of yaoguai king “Yellow Wind Sage”.
• Reduced the invulnerability duration of “Green-Capped Martialist”.
• Enhanced the effectiveness of the vessel “Wind Tamer” against yaoguai chief “Non-Void”.
• Improved the combat experience with yaoguai chiefs “Cloudy Mist, Misty Cloud”.
• Improved the combat experience with yaoguai chief “Emerald-Armed Mantis”.
• Improved the combat experience with “The Great Sage’s Broken Shell”.

Levels

• Fixed an issue where Zhu Bajie did not appear in Mount Huaguo under certain conditions.

Protagonist

• Improved the experience when the Destined One consumes multiple medicines consecutively.
• Enhanced the experience of Varied Combos and Charged Heavy Attacks.
• Optimized the description of Transformations-related Talents.
• Fixed an issue where the damage detection of Spirit Skills persisted indefinitely under certain operations.
• Fixed an issue where the animation of Life-Saving Strand could not be triggered when the Talent had taken effect under specific operations.
• Fixed an issue where “Bull King’s Mask” could gain Focus even when attacked during invincible states (Doging, Perfect Dodging, or Seeing-Through).

Interaction

• The Music Library progress bar now supports dragging.
• Control customization for Keyboard & Mouse now supports mouse side buttons.
• Fixed an issue where the Sprint button icon would not display in Controller Type B’s layout.
• Fixed an issue where the Inventory interface might not display content under certain operations.
• Fixed an issue where the UI could become misaligned under specific operations.

Sound and Subtitles

• Fixed errors in some sound effects.
• Fixed abnormal voice playback for certain yaoguai kings.
• Optimized the volume of certain sound effects.

Performance

• Fixed occasional crashes for some users after enabling DLSS frame generation.
• Fixed screen flickering issues for some users after enabling XeSS.
• Fixed a memory leak issue under certain conditions.
• Fixed crashes caused by outdated drivers.
• Optimized performance for numerous scenes and boss fights on medium and low-end configurations.
• Enhanced the performance of Full Ray Tracing on GeForce RTX.

Localization and Other

• Added language support for Turkish.
• Added and improved translations for Portraits in several languages.
• Corrected translation errors and fixed issues with spelling, capitalization, and terminology consistency in several languages.
• Improved the translation of lyrics in several languages.
• Enhanced the quality of some English voiceovers and their synchronization with subtitles.
• Improved text display in several languages.

[Source: Game Science]

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PlayStation Store Update Worldwide December 10, 2024

Each week Sony brings PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PlayStation VR, and PlayStation Plus owners new content, add-ons, games, and more. Here is the complete global PlayStation Store update. PlayStation LifeStyle catalogs the PlayStation Store updates for the major regions across the globe. Check back every Tuesday to keep up to date with each week’s PlayStation Store Update.

North American Update

December’s PlayStation Plus Essential Lineup

• Aliens: Dark Descent (PS5, PS4)
• It Takes Two (PS4, PS5)
• temtem (PS5)

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PS4 & PS5 Games

• Amazing Weekend: Search and Relax Collector’s Edition
• Among Ashes
• Arcade Archives City Bomber
• BACKROOMS: INSIDE THE ESCAPE
• Battleminer Giants
• A Bibelot: Y-Type
• Bodycam Zombie Shooter
• Christmas Tree Decorating Simulator
• Collectible Card Shop Master
• Crowd Run
• DETECTIVE – The Motel
• Dinosaur Fossil Hunter
• Dog Man: Mission Impawsible
• Entropy Survivors
• FANTASIAN Neo Dimension
• Finding America: New England Collector’s Edition
• Futbol Kicks
• Godsvivors
• GUN BRO
• Gun Shop Dealer Simulator
• HEAVEN SEEKER ――The Savior of This Cruel World
• Highway Police Simulator
• Honey Farm Simulator
• Infinity Nikki
• JIGSAW CHRONICLES: Most Wanted
• Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered
• Love Too Easily
• Marvel Rivals
• Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind
• My First Gran Turismo
• My Horse: Bonded Spirits
• New Year’s Jam
• Pet Shop Simulator
• Raft
• Railroads Online
• Real Heroes: Firefighter HD
• Revhead
• Road Maintenance Simulator 2 + Winter Services
• Santa’s Spot it
• Shadow Tactics: Aiko’s Choice
• Superscout
• Symphonia
• The Thaumaturge
• The Thing: Remastered
• UFL
• Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop
• Unwording
• Westild’s Law

Next Page: European Update

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